Read Online Acts of Malice by Perri O'Shaughnessy - Free Book Online

what they found in his stomach, what he ate for lunch! Just tell me what you have to.’’
    So she gave him the highlights, hardly daring to look up. She ran down what she had learned, what they would be doing at Collier’s office, hurrying, getting it over with.
    It must have felt like one long shock. She felt as though she were holding his finger in an electric plug the whole time.
    When she finished, there was a lengthy silence. She wanted to reach out her hand, touch his, but she was afraid that at any contact he might jump up and run out.
    ‘‘Listen. You’re not alone in this. I’m good at what I do, Jim, and I’m on your side. I’m here to help you.’’
    ‘‘They think I—I jumped on Alex? That’s what they think?’’
    ‘‘The coroner up here doesn’t know his ass from his scalpel. He’s prosecution-oriented, and he makes mistakes. He should have retired long ago.’’
    ‘‘That’s what they think? That’s it?’’
    ‘‘Yes. That’s what they think. But I’m telling you, now that we know what’s going on, we can turn this around.’’
    He clutched his head with his hands and rocked in the chair. He seemed to be shocked speechless.
    She couldn’t blame him. Getting up from her chair, she turned her back to him and faced the window to give him time to recover, leaving the paperwork between them on the desk.
    She remembered a painting that she hadn’t thought of since college, depicting a strange, hideous, half-alive machine, doing things no one could understand. ‘‘The Elephant Celebes,’’ the painting was called.
    It reminded her of the system that Jim had been forced into. She tried to quell the tide of anger, at Clauson who just plain had it in for everybody, at Jim’s wife for telling her tale and then running around the corner where she wouldn’t get caught.
    ‘‘Where’s Heidi?’’ Jim cried behind her. ‘‘She must be so angry to do this to me. Why’s she so mad? I feel like a damn moron! I thought I knew her.’’
    ‘‘You have no idea at all where she might have gone?’’
    ‘‘I told you! None at all. That doesn’t say much for our relationship, does it?’’ Now the words spilled out. ‘‘She’s pulled away from me the last few months. She has her friends, you know, her job. She’s outside, so I don’t see her much. I work out of the lodge most of the time, keeping the administrative side going. It’s hard work, and I’m trying harder to be good at this than I’ve ever tried to do anything.’’
    ‘‘Who actually owns Paradise?’’ Nina asked.
    ‘‘My father. My father is still the CEO of Paradise. Alex and I were the vice presidents.’’
    ‘‘What exactly does Heidi do?’’
    ‘‘Supervises the Ski Patrol. She’s been working the mountain for twelve years. She trains the new guys, handles the big emergencies, checks out the mountain after each snowfall for avalanche danger. I met her when I started working at Paradise, straight out of college. She’s—she loves to laugh, party, have a good time.’’
    ‘‘Something must have led up to her leaving,’’ Nina said, half to herself.
    ‘‘When we were in bed—the night Alex died...’’ Jim said in a low voice. ‘‘She didn’t want me. That hurt. I needed her.’’
    ‘‘Well,’’ Nina said, tapping the edges of the pages of the autopsy report on her desk to straighten them, ‘‘we’ll learn more this afternoon. Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re making a trade. You’re going to go in and talk to Mr. Hallowell. I’ll be right there with you, watching out for you. In return for that, he’ll pass along a copy of Heidi’s statement without giving us any hassle.’’
    She went on for a few minutes, talking about questions to be careful about, warning that his statements could be used against him, making sure his story hadn’t changed and that she understood it. Then she reached for her coat and they walked out together. ‘‘Why don’t we go in my